Singapore Fashion Week: Did it do justice to the name?
updated the 20 October 2015 à 15:48As the newly minted SGFW concluded last week, we couldn’t help but wonder if the event managed to promote Singapore designers or was it simply a buzzy occasion?
Within 5 days of glitzy shows, celebrity appearances, international designers and a whole lot of drinks, the newly minted Singapore Fashion Week (SGFW) came to a close with Victoria Beckham showing us that she’s indeed not too posh to push at the final runway.
While we’re all for the new direction of fashion week, starting with the name and the potentially beneficial partnership with Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), as strong supporters of local fashion, there are certain aspects that we believe could be improved to further the grand vision of bolstering Singapore’s fashion industry right from the core.
Right from the get go, what sorely lacked at SGFW was a strong local presence. The way to rectify that would be to organise a fashion week filled solely with Singapore designers, as the name so boldly suggests. If you’re wondering what designers, well let us remind you that there is in fact a full contingent to present. From Singapore’s acclaimed veteran designer, Thomas Wee to established designers like Max Tan, Hansel and Stolen, we don’t see why several local designers are not being given the opportunity to show on these runways. These very names have shown collections on other local fashion weeks so the question remains, why aren’t they offered the same chance at SGFW? One could only wonder if the doors were opened to them to begin with.
However, if the reason lies in exorbitant costs then perhaps subsidies by the government agencies, who already support the event, could provide some much-needed aid.
Ultimately, to drum up international coverage, SGFW needs to be seen as a fashion week that celebrates local talent 100% and not simply as an afterthought to fill the week. It would also create a much greater impact on the global platform as buyers and media will get to see all that Singapore has to offer on the sartorial front directly and fresh from the runways.
Speaking of buyers and media, another point of contention would be to consider if SGFW is a consumer or an industry event. A consumer event will allow anyone to attend the shows through tickets but an industry event will ensure that majority of the seats be allocated to potential buyers and members of the media – whether local, regional or international – to truly increase the level of exposure and opportunities the event will receive. At the moment SGFW comes across as a joint consumer and industry event with ticketed shows for international designers to showcase Fall collections that have been shown in New York in the months before.
So moving on to the actual collections, being in this part of the world, especially in Singapore where temperatures hardly dip below 24 degree celsius and humidity never fails to make its presence known, what would be better is to position our nation as the centrestage for cruise or resort collections. Be the leader in championing cruise and resort lines rather than following the usual Spring/ Summer (SS) and Fall/ Winter (FW) calendar. We have to face the fact that FW simply does not work in our geographical location. Even Chanel chose to present their Cruise 2013/14 show in Singapore, possibly signifying that resort wear is suitable for the market here.
Also with cruise collections, even if we were to invite international designers to show on our shores, it would be a collection that’s practically far more feasible in our market and internationally as well. For instance, we could potentially partner with Australia and their fashion weeks to support cruise collections in the region.
Lastly, switch up SGFW to take place only in the later half of the year, slightly before the major fashion weeks in September as that is also when SS collections are showcased – which makes more sense for our designers. They’ll be able to hit two birds with one stone by reaching out to international buyers who’re sourcing for SS pieces and the local market where SS collections will always work.
Nonetheless, despite the changes, one pertinent issue remains before Singapore could become a fashion hub as boldly envisioned by government agencies and that is to truly support young, emerging designers with production subsidies, incubation programmes or mentorships with designers overseas to allow them to grow and learn from those already in the industry. After all, talent is one thing but without business acumen or the resources to produce a collection, evidently the fashion industry will face a whole lot of inertia.
A good example of doing good for the local fashion industry would be KEEPERS, the pop up store along Orchard Road, which has done an incredible job in providing an avenue for designers to showcase their wares and reach out to more consumers in a prime location. Not only has the venture truly supported the quest to put our local designers’ names on the lips of everyone who walks into KEEPERS, it has given them a much-needed space to sell – especially in a country where rental costs can run rather high.
It’s not all on the organisers though because up till today, consumers continue to pride international designers over local ones and that is a tricky problem to overcome. Designers also have to put it upon themselves to deliver quality product for the price points they’re charging and ensure they have a clear design vision before naively embarking on a label. We’re still a young industry but give it due time, support and resources from the media and institutions, designers will be able to better understand what it takes to succeed and eventually sway the opinion of consumers.
Having gone for local fashion weeks for a couple of years now, I’ve personally seen progress from 4-5 years ago, but it’s only minimal at best with temporary promises. Many designers also question the gain of being at fashion week because of the buzzy nature it promotes. Case in point – while international designers at fashion week will attract a slew of media outlets to cover the event, unfortunately the coverage remains at that and steals the focus away from the whole point of having Singapore designers there. Did you notice how much the media was talking about Victoria Beckham as opposed to the three impressive Singapore designers – Ong Shunmugam, Dzojchen and Elohim by Sabrina Goh – on show?
At the end of the day, we truly believe in the talent that Singapore designers possess and there’s so much more that SGFW could do to celebrate them. We need to christen Singapore Fashion Week for what the name promises to stand for, not for a facade.
Remember, all that glitters is not gold.
Tarandip Kaur
Hi Tarandip, it’s a long story – far too long to fit in this comment box. Do email me, would love to chat with you over coffee, not as the organizer of SGFW, but as an individual who has long supported young designers- we do the best we can with the resources we have. I’m happy to tell you the story. Cheers, Tjin
To begin with, it is already a laughing stock to the international fashion industry when Singapore fashion week is anything but Singapore fashion. Period.
The above comment purporting to be me has clearly been posted by a troll lacking the convictions of declaring their identity.
This was not my post and I have not commented on this initiative at all.
The real Frank Cintamani